North Dakota Man Charged in 100-Horse Seizure Case

A North Dakota man is facing multiple animal cruelty charges in connection with the alleged maltreatment of more than 100 horses.

On Jan. 24, Morton County Sheriff's Department personnel rescued 120 horses residing without access to food or water on a property near New Salem, N.D. The carcasses of another 96 horses were also discovered on the property. Morton County Prosecuting Attorney Jackson Lofgren said that law enforcement personnel in nearby Burleigh County seized another 38 allegedly maltreated horses and discovered the carcasses of another 3 dead equines belonging to the same owner.

Lofgren said that on Feb. 15, the animals' owner William Kiefer was charged in Morton County with five counts of overworking, mistreating, or abandoning an animal. The Class A misdemeanor charges carry potential maximum per count penalties of a one year incarceration and $2.000 in fines, Lofgren said. Kiefer faces four counts of similar charges in Burleigh County, Lofgren said.

Kiefer was unavailable for comment.

Kiefer is slated to appear in court in Morton County on March 5 in connection with the charges. The Burleigh County case also remains pending, Lofgren said.

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